Salt Lake County · City comparison
Herriman vs Murray, Utah
Herriman and Murray are both Salt Lake County cities, but they sit at opposite ends of the valley story: one is the newer community climbing the southwest bench, the other is the established city in the middle with its own downtown and three rail stations. My own base is Southern Utah, so for Herriman and Murray I connect you with a trusted local partner agent who knows the streets and the schools, and I stay on the file for the homework and the financing. Here is the honest side-by-side.
Herriman and Murray are about twenty miles apart inside the same Salt Lake County, but they represent two different eras of the valley. Murray is one of the older, more central cities, built out on the flat valley floor with its own historic downtown, its own school district, and some of the best rail access anywhere in the metro. Herriman is the newer community at the far southwest corner, where most of the construction has gone up in the last twenty years as the city climbs the Oquirrh bench. They share a county and a climate, and not much else about the day-to-day.
What separates these two comes down to what a dollar buys and how far you drive to spend it. Herriman's median sits about $80,000 above Murray's, and that premium buys newer square footage on the Oquirrh bench with Blackridge Reservoir close by, but it also carries a property tax rate close to double Murray's because of Herriman's fire and police service areas. Murray counters with the lower price, a shorter average commute (20.7 minutes against Herriman's 27.1, per the Census Bureau's American Community Survey), and three rail stations that make car-optional living workable from the middle of the valley. The categories below lay out both sides so the trade is visible rather than assumed.
Side by side
Herriman vs Murray at a glance.
| Category | Herriman | Murray |
|---|---|---|
| County | Salt Lake County | Salt Lake County |
| Population (city) | ~55,000 | ~50,000 |
| Elevation | ~5,000 ft, climbing the Oquirrh bench | ~4,300 ft, valley floor |
| Climate | Four seasons, snowier on the bench | Four seasons, valley snow |
| Typical summer high | ~94 to 100 °F | ~90 to 95 °F |
| Annual sunshine | ~230 days | ~230 days |
| Median home price | ~$600,000 | ~$520,000 |
| Property tax (primary home) | ~1% effective, fire and police service areas | ~0.6% effective |
| Median household income | ~$123,000 | ~$91,000 |
| University | None in city; SLCC and University of Utah nearby | None in city; SLCC in Taylorsville and University of Utah nearby |
| School district | Jordan School District | Murray City School District |
| Getting there | Salt Lake City International (SLC) ~27 to 30 mi; no rail, nearest TRAX at Daybreak | Salt Lake City International (SLC) ~15 mi; FrontRunner and TRAX at 3 stations |
| National parks nearby | Blackridge Reservoir; Oquirrh foothills trails; Wasatch ski canyons ~45 to 60 min | Murray Park; Jordan River Parkway; Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons ~30 min |
Sources: U.S. Census (population, income), USGS (elevation), National Weather Service (climate), county assessors (property tax), and the local MLS (median home price). Figures are approximate and were last reviewed in June 2026. Home prices and tax rates move, so confirm current numbers before you plan.
Cost of living
What a budget buys in each town.
The clearest gap between these two starts with the price of a home. Herriman's median runs around $600,000 against roughly $520,000 in Murray, so the same budget generally reaches further toward the center of the valley. A big part of that is housing age and type: Herriman's inventory skews newer and larger out on the bench, while Murray has a deeper supply of established homes on smaller, central lots across a wider span of price points.
Property tax is the line buyers most often underestimate when they run the math. Murray's effective rate sits near 0.6%, close to the valley norm, while Herriman's fire and police service areas push its rate to roughly 1%, nearly double, stacked on top of the higher purchase price. Median household income runs higher in Herriman too, about $123,000 against $91,000 in Murray, a gap that tracks with Herriman's commuter-professional job geography rather than any claim about who should live there. Add the tax delta to the price delta and a Herriman purchase can carry meaningfully more each year than the sale price alone suggests, so run both numbers before you set a budget.
If you are weighing what either price means for a monthly housing scenario, the affordability calculator lets you explore the range a budget might support, and the cost-of-living guide breaks the categories down further.
Climate & elevation
The real difference.
Elevation is the variable doing most of the work here. Murray sits close to 4,300 feet on the flat valley floor, with summer highs typically in the low-to-mid 90s and conditions that read about the same block to block. Herriman climbs the Oquirrh bench toward 5,000 feet, where afternoons can push into the high 90s or around 100 degrees on the hottest days even as evenings cool off faster than they do in Murray, and where a passing storm tends to drop more snow the higher up the bench a street sits.
In practice the air is similar enough that climate rarely decides the move on its own. The thing to plan for is Herriman's bench position: more snow to clear on the upslope streets in a hard winter, against Murray's flatter, more predictable valley-floor conditions. Both share the roughly 230 sunny days a year and the wintertime valley inversions that the rest of the Salt Lake Valley lives with from time to time.
Size & amenities
Big-town options vs small-town ease.
Murray carries more of its own infrastructure than most valley suburbs its size. Around 50,000 people, it runs its own power utility and school district, anchors the Intermountain Medical Center campus, and sits next to Fashion Place mall, so groceries, specialty medical care, and a weekend shopping trip all stay inside city limits. Its transit is the standout: three rail stations carrying both FrontRunner commuter rail and TRAX light rail put a car-light commute to downtown Salt Lake or out to the airport within reach. Salt Lake City International is about 15 miles north.
Herriman, around 55,000 people, is the newer and quieter of the two, set against the Oquirrh foothills at the valley's southwest edge. It has no rail of its own, so the nearest TRAX is at Daybreak just to the north, and the airport is about 27 to 30 miles out. The trade for that distance is space and a less built-up feel, with newer shopping and dining still filling in. Murray's deeper, more established amenity base is a valley drive away, so Herriman residents borrow it for the day and head home.
Lifestyle & outdoors
Two very good backyards.
Herriman's edge is open space close to home. Blackridge Reservoir sits right in town for summer swimming and paddling, the Oquirrh foothills trails climb straight off the west side of the city, and the bench location puts you a little nearer the open country at the valley's rim, with the Wasatch ski canyons about 45 to 60 minutes across the valley.
Murray's outdoors lean on parks and the river rather than the foothills. Murray Park is one of the larger and older city parks in the valley, with mature trees, a pond, and the amphitheater that hosts summer concerts, and the Jordan River Parkway trail runs along the city's west side for miles of flat walking and biking. For the big mountain days, the Big and Little Cottonwood canyons and their ski resorts are about 30 minutes east, so the high country is in reach without being at the doorstep.
Schools & higher ed
Districts and universities.
Herriman schools fall under the Jordan School District, one of the larger districts in the state; Murray runs its own Murray City School District, a comparatively small district that covers just the city. Rather than rate schools here, I keep it factual: check current attendance boundaries and school ratings directly with the district and the independent rating sites before you settle on a neighborhood, since boundaries shift as the area grows. For more on each city's schools, see the Herriman and Murray guides.
Neither city has a university of its own, but both sit within easy reach of higher education. Salt Lake Community College has campuses nearby, including its Taylorsville campus to the west, and the University of Utah is a valley drive northeast from either city. That puts continuing-education options, cultural and sporting events, and a steady rental market all close at hand from either address.
The verdict
Which one fits you?
The decisive trade runs on price and transit against space and a lighter tax bill. Murray wins on cost, a shorter commute, and a train platform in walking distance, but it asks you to accept a denser central grid with hospital-district and mall-area traffic as part of the deal. Herriman wins on newer square footage, open bench-top space, and a quieter edge-of-valley setting, but it costs roughly $80,000 more at the median, carries a property tax rate close to double Murray's, and leaves you with a single hourly bus and no hospital inside city limits. Use whichever column sounds more like the life you are picturing.
Lean Herriman if
- Newer construction and larger homes on the bench fit what you are after.
- You want open foothills, Blackridge Reservoir, and a quieter edge-of-valley feel.
- Cooler evenings and a higher setting appeal more than the flat valley floor.
- Borrowing the valley's amenities for the day is close enough for you.
Lean Murray if
- A lower typical home price and a lower property tax rate matter to your plan.
- Car-light commuting on FrontRunner and TRAX is a priority.
- You want a self-contained, central city with its own downtown and hospital.
- A flat, established valley-floor location with mature parks fits you.
They are about twenty minutes apart, so plenty of buyers tour both before deciding. If you want to do that, I can connect you with a local partner agent who will drive both with you and stay on the file for the financing.
Financing your move
Numbers for either town.
Because I am licensed in both real estate and mortgage lending, I can help you pressure-test what each city means for your budget before you ever tour a home. The getting pre-approved guide walks the first step, and the cost-of-living guide breaks down how prices move across the state. For numbers specific to your situation, let's talk.
Go deeper
The full guide to each city.
Moving to Herriman
Neighborhoods, cost of living, schools, recreation, and everything a local partner would tell a friend about the growing community on the Oquirrh bench.
Open the Herriman hub Browse Herriman homes for saleMoving to Murray
Neighborhoods, cost of living, schools, recreation, and the full picture of life in the established, transit-rich heart of the valley.
Open the Murray hub Browse Murray homes for saleThinking of selling in Herriman or Murray instead? I can connect you with a trusted local partner agent and get your home featured where buyers are already researching the move.
Weighing the two
Deciding between Herriman and Murray.
The scorecard shows the deltas; these answers get into what they mean when you are choosing between these two specific cities.
What does the same home budget buy in Herriman versus Murray?
Run the price ladders side by side and the gap shows up fast. Murray's brackets start at an under-$500,000 tier with a median near $520,000, so a typical Murray budget lands close to the middle of what is on the market. Herriman's cheapest built bracket is under $600,000, right at its own median, so a $500,000 budget that shops comfortably in Murray falls under Herriman's entry tier entirely. Above $1,000,000, Herriman has its own dedicated bracket; Murray's top tier is over $800,000.
How much longer is the commute from Herriman than from Murray?
By a meaningful margin. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey puts Herriman's mean commute at 27.1 minutes, the longest among the southwest valley cities profiled on this site, and most trips run on surface streets before ever reaching the Mountain View Corridor or Bangerter Highway. Murray's mean commute is about 20.7 minutes, among the shortest in the county, helped by three rail stations, Murray Central, Murray North, and Fashion Place West, that let some households skip a second car. Herriman's own transit option is a single UTA bus, Route 126, running hourly out to the TRAX Red Line at Daybreak Parkway in South Jordan.
How does the elevation difference change day-to-day weather?
Enough to notice in both directions. Murray's roughly 4,300-foot valley floor keeps its weather even from block to block, with summer highs in the low-to-mid 90s. Herriman's bench climbs toward 5,000 feet, where the highest streets can run several degrees warmer on a summer afternoon, up toward 100 degrees, while cooling off faster once the sun drops. The same elevation works against Herriman in winter, since storms tend to drop more snow the higher up the bench a street sits, so a Herriman commute during a storm can start with more shoveling than the same storm gives a Murray driveway on the valley floor.
How do the job bases compare between Herriman and Murray?
Differently enough to shape the commute numbers above. Herriman is still largely a commuter city: its median household income near $123,000 tracks with a commuter-professional job geography more than an in-city job base, and the city has offered incentives to draw employers to its new commercial center, with The Commons, a Target-anchored retail district, breaking ground in June 2025. Murray's economy is anchored in place, built around the Intermountain Medical Center campus and its surrounding medical cluster, Fashion Place mall, and the city's own utility and school district payrolls, all inside city limits, which is a large part of why Murray's commute average runs shorter than Herriman's.
Which city has closer access to a hospital and the airport?
Murray, on both counts. Intermountain Medical Center sits inside Murray at about 5300 South, a 504-bed flagship campus that opened in 2007 with one of the state's top emergency and trauma programs, and the airport is about a 20-minute drive from most of the city. Herriman has no hospital inside its limits; Intermountain Riverton Hospital, a full-service community hospital, is the nearest option, roughly 10 to 15 minutes east, and Salt Lake City International sits 27 to 30 miles out, closer to 35 to 45 minutes since there is no rail to shortcut the trip.
Common questions
Herriman vs Murray FAQ.
Is Herriman or Murray cheaper to buy a home in?
Murray generally has the lower median home price, around $520,000 versus about $600,000 in Herriman, and its property tax rate is lower too, though both move with the market, so check current numbers before you plan.
How far apart are Herriman and Murray?
About 20 minutes apart inside Salt Lake County, with Herriman at the southwest edge of the valley and Murray near the center, which makes it easy to tour both in a single day.
Do Herriman and Murray share the same school district?
No. Herriman is in the Jordan School District, while Murray runs its own Murray City School District that covers just the city. Attendance boundaries can shift as the area grows, so confirm the current boundary for any specific address with the district before you settle on a neighborhood.
Which has better transit, Herriman or Murray?
Murray. It has three rail stations with both FrontRunner commuter rail and TRAX light rail, which makes a car-light commute to downtown Salt Lake or the airport realistic. Herriman has no rail of its own, with the nearest TRAX at Daybreak and the airport about 27 to 30 miles out.
Still deciding? I can help.
Tell me what matters most in your move, the budget, the property tax, the commute, the canyon access, and I will connect you with a trusted local partner agent for Herriman and Murray, then stay on the file for the homework and the financing. No pressure either way.
If you buy or sell outside Southern Utah, I connect you with a trusted local partner agent and stay involved through your move. If you work with that agent, their brokerage pays my brokerage (Real Broker, LLC) a referral fee. It comes out of the agent's compensation, not as an added cost to you, and you are always free to choose your own agent.